Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has announced a fresh package of development and welfare measures for Dehra in Kangra district, including underground utility ducts, additional funding for the ambitious Bankhandi Zoological Park and improved healthcare and drinking water infrastructure.
Addressing a gathering in Dehra, Sukhu also sought to defend his government’s handling of the state’s financial challenges, particularly its decisions concerning government employees and pensioners. He said the Congress government remained committed to clearing employee liabilities while maintaining fiscal discipline.
The Chief Minister announced that Class-IV employees who retired between January 1, 2016 and January 31, 2022 would receive an additional ₹20,000 over and above their existing salary arrears. He also said the government would remove the basic-pay condition applicable to certain categories of Class-I, Class-II and Class-III pensioners.
Once that condition is removed, eligible pensioners will receive 35 per cent of their outstanding arrears, Sukhu said. According to the Chief Minister, this would take the total proportion of arrears cleared for eligible employees to 57 per cent.
He also indicated that government employees would receive Dearness Allowance in due course, attributing the government’s ability to provide these benefits to what he described as improved financial management, fiscal discipline and prudent expenditure.
Sukhu used the occasion to criticise the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing it of using employee and pensioner issues for political purposes rather than contributing to their resolution.
The financial position of Himachal Pradesh has been a recurring political issue between the Congress government and the BJP. Sukhu said that when his government assumed office, it inherited a debt burden of ₹76,707 crore along with employee liabilities estimated at about ₹10,000 crore.
He also criticised the BJP-led central government over the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant, claiming that the state’s BJP legislators and MPs had failed to press adequately for its restoration.
The Chief Minister said his administration was nevertheless attempting to create additional revenue streams while protecting expenditure on welfare and development.
Sukhu referred to the Kishau Dam project, saying Himachal Pradesh had fought to protect its interests in the project and was expected to receive annual revenue of around ₹600 crore. He also cited the state’s success in a dispute involving JSW after a Supreme Court ruling, saying the decision was helping generate approximately ₹150 crore annually for Himachal Pradesh.
He further defended the government’s decision to discontinue the previous system of renewing liquor vends and instead auction them, saying the move had helped increase state revenue.
### Dehra gets underground utility plan
A major infrastructure announcement concerned underground utility ducts. Sukhu said that after undertaking similar work in Shimla, the government would extend the underground ducting system to Dehra.
The objective is to improve the management of electricity, telecommunications and other utility networks while reducing the visual clutter and maintenance problems associated with overhead infrastructure.
The announcement comes as Dehra is being positioned by the state government as an emerging centre for tourism and infrastructure development.
Sukhu reiterated that Kangra has been designated the Tourism Capital of Himachal Pradesh and highlighted the proposed international-standard zoological park at Bankhandi.
The project has an estimated cost of ₹619 crore. The Chief Minister said ₹150 crore had already been spent and another ₹100 crore had now been released to accelerate its development.
The Bankhandi project is expected to form an important component of the state’s broader strategy to expand tourism beyond established destinations and create new attractions in Kangra.
### Healthcare and drinking water projects
Sukhu also announced that Dehra Hospital would receive a high-end ultrasound machine within a year, aimed at strengthening diagnostic services for residents of the area.
Drinking water infrastructure is another major focus. According to the Chief Minister, projects worth approximately ₹100 crore are currently being implemented in the Dehra Assembly constituency.
He said an ozone-based drinking water project would also be completed within the next year.
The government, he added, was attempting to ensure that welfare programmes reached economically vulnerable sections rather than remaining limited to those with greater access to government institutions.
### Support for fishing community
The Chief Minister distributed financial assistance of ₹3,500 each to 800 fishermen under the Mukhyamantri Machhuaara Samman Nidhi scheme.
The assistance, amounting to ₹28 lakh for the 800 beneficiaries, has been transferred directly into their bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer system.
Sukhu said the government had also reduced the royalty on fish from 15 per cent to one per cent. He said fishermen would receive financial assistance during the annual fishing-ban period to help compensate for the loss of income during the restricted season.
MLA Kamlesh Thakur said the assistance should be viewed not merely as a financial payment but as recognition of the contribution made by fishing families to the local economy.
She said several development projects were underway in Dehra and expressed the ambition of turning the constituency into one of Himachal’s leading tourism destinations.
According to Kamlesh Thakur, more than 60 per cent of the budget allocated for Dehra has been channelled directly towards Gram Panchayats, allowing local authorities to undertake works relating to village roads, pathways and drinking water without unnecessary delays.
### Pong Dam oustees remain a priority
The Chief Minister also addressed the longstanding concerns of families displaced by the Pong Dam project.
He said many displaced families had previously faced difficulties even in obtaining bonafide certificates. His government, he said, had provided land to 200 displaced families for construction of houses, while other eligible families would be brought under the scheme progressively.
The issue of Pong Dam oustees has remained politically sensitive in Kangra for decades, with displaced families continuing to seek rehabilitation, land and other benefits.
### Corruption warning
Sukhu also used his Dehra address to reiterate his government’s anti-corruption position.
He said the administration was taking measures to prevent corruption and that people involved in corrupt practices would be required to account for assets allegedly acquired illegally. Properties established to have been acquired through unlawful means, he said, would be confiscated and eventually used for the benefit of poorer sections.
The Chief Minister urged the public to cooperate with the government in its efforts to tackle corruption.
His remarks also carried a clear political undertone. Referring to recent political developments in Dehra, Sukhu recalled the period when the constituency was represented by an Independent MLA and said his government had continued development work without discrimination.
He said he had not expected the Independent MLA to subsequently become involved in what he described as a conspiracy to destabilise the elected government.
Sukhu also referred to the electoral entry of his wife, Kamlesh Thakur, into politics. He said she had not initially intended to contest elections but was given the Congress ticket after a party survey indicated that she had a reasonable prospect of winning.
The Dehra contest became particularly significant after the political crisis that engulfed Himachal Pradesh’s Congress government, eventually leading to a by-election in the constituency.
The Chief Minister said the episode was unprecedented in the state’s political history, claiming that Independent MLAs had themselves staged protests demanding acceptance of their resignations.
With infrastructure, welfare, tourism and political developments all converging in Dehra, the Chief Minister’s visit served two purposes: to announce a new set of projects and to reinforce the Congress government’s political narrative in a constituency that has become increasingly important to the state’s political landscape.
The government’s challenge will now be to translate these announcements into completed projects and tangible benefits for residents, particularly in areas such as tourism, healthcare, drinking water and rehabilitation.
For Dehra, the proposed underground utility network, expanded Bankhandi Zoological Park funding, drinking water projects and support for fishing and displaced families represent a substantial development agenda. Whether these initiatives can deliver the economic transformation promised by the government will become clearer as implementation progresses.
